A Muskegon Heights fire official said Monday that an electrical short was the cause of a fire Saturday afternoon that destroyed a home in the 2400 block of Sanford Street.

"The home was supposed to be unoccupied, but the owner was allowing a woman to work on the house and stay there," said Muskegon Heights Fire Lt. Christopher Dean. "She had been staying there since last fall."

The day before the fire, the woman, 42-year-old Karen Lindstrom, and a male guest had a problem with fuses blowing due to electrical circuits being overloaded. "They were heating the home with space heaters," Dean said.

He said it appears someone replaced a blown fuse with a higher amp fuse than was recommended. "That overloaded the attic wires, starting the insulation on fire," Dean said.